Puzzle
by Shinobutterfly4
Summary: The young genius was a puzzle no doubt, but every puzzle has it's solution.


Disclaimer- I do not own Death Note or the characters in anyway

Puzzle

He wasn't even supposed to be working for the kid. Well, Giovanni hadn't meant to think of him as a kid. But he was so small and the toys didn't really help.

"We'll be staying at this hotel until the president is prepared to meet us."

"Yes sir. Giovanni gave a curt nod to his surperior before locking himself in the room with the genius. "Of course", the thought bitterly. "Give the rookie who's not supposed to be here the baby-sitting job."

Giovanni checked the apartment. He was after all, "gaurding" the young man. The young man watched him as he went until Giovanni settled down, deciding to do a jigsaw puzzle that had already been started, his eyes never left him.

Giovanni looked up from the puzzle to the clock. It was 3 in the morning. He turned toward his ward.

"Sir? Maybe you should be asleep." He midly suggested.

"I will." His voice was quiet. After several minutes, he shifted under the covers.

Giovanni leaned back against the couch, just starring at the ceiling, for what seemed like hours.

A choked sob brought himself off his trance. The noise had been heard from the bed.

Rushing over and flicking on the bed-side lamp, he found his charge hugging himself, his knuckles white and strained from his grip and, and tears streaming down his face.

After calling out to him a few times, Giovanni decided he was still asleep and having a nightmare. So he sat down on the bed and rubbed the boy's back. A gesture that his own mother had used for him when he was young.

His pale knuckles loosened and his breathing became tears however, would not stop.

Giovanni picked him up into him up. His thin little arms instantly wrapped around Giovanni's neck. Getting the idea, the young government agent propped himself up against the head board with the young man clinging to his neck. The tears stopped at 5 and Giovanni was able to slip him back under the covers and switch shifts with one his surperiors.

"How is Near?" The man asked immedietly, not even sparing a hello.

"Hmm" Oh! He's fine sir."

"Near can't really be his name, Giovanni thought. The entire day Giovanni thought about the genius. Even when he got the chance to sleep for a few hours, the boy haunted him. He was like a puzzle, and even if it looked like all the pieces were there, the last one wouldn't click.

Giovanni returned to the hotel room with his boy in a tow. The woman currently there seemed all to eager to leave. As Giovanni entered the room, he was met with a pair of dark eyes staring at him. It was at this moment that Giovanni saw Near in full light.

Near looked like a 10 year old. He was small and frial. He had pure white hair that matched the paleness of his skin. His eyes were black and void of any emotion.

"Hello Giovanni." He said. He was sitting on the couch, one knee pulled up to his chest, hugging it with one arm twiliring his hair with his free hand. The puzzle Giovanni had started yesterday was nearly finished on the table. Though it was not that way wheb he had left.

"H-hello...sir." Giovanni walked to caoutiously to the couch and sat next to Near.

"No need for that, you're older than I am." Near's voice was a monotone sound. His eyes never moved from Giovanni.

He nodded, not sure what to say. He turned back toward his puzzle. Nearly finished, all of one piece. In the middle of the puzzle there was one empty space and its piece right next to it. It looked like it would fit.

Near noticed Giovanni eyeing the piece. "It won't fit", He said.

His brow furrowed."Are you sure?" He moved the piece to it's space and pressed down gently. Sure enough, it wouldn't fit. "It must've been cut wrong.". He sighed and leaned back against the couch like he had done the night before.

Hours later.

Something kicked Giovanni's leg. When he looked down, he saw a socked foot. Glancing up the rest of the body, he found that Near had gone to sleep beside him.

Near felt something cold being placed under his head. Then over his body. It was like last night, just without being saved by that warmth. But then the warmth touched his forehead and placed something in his arms. The warmth then left aruptly.

Fearing it would leave forever, Near forced himself awake. He saw Giovanni's retreating figure through half-lidded sleepy eyes. "Wait!" His voice cracked at the unused emotion.

Giovanni turned."Near? Is something wrong?"

Near looked down. A teddy bear was in him arms. He held it out toward Giovanni. "I don't wa--," That was a lie. Near really wanted it. "I don't need....this....to sleep."

"But it's rude to give back your gift."

"Gift?"

"Yes, you have no teddy bear in your stuffed animal collection."

Near put his nose into its artificial fur. "It smells like you. How long have you had it?"

"I made it in 10th grade. It always just sat on my bed."

"Oh...I see."

He placed his hand on Near's head." That was not the message I inteded to give." Giovanni's eyes were drawn back to the puzzle. "What would help you sleep?"

There was a slilcence. Then in a voice barely audible, Near said, "you."

Giovanni sat down and pulled Near into his lap. Near instantly snuggled into Giovanni and hugged his new bear. He leaned over once more and pressed the piece into it's place.

Click.

Everything fitted together now.

-Fin-

Shinobutterfly


End file.
